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Low self-esteem and body image

It is common for young people to feel increasingly uncomfortable with their bodies as changes occur during adolescence. Low self-esteem occurs when expectations of how you want your body to look don’t match up to reality.
These types of feelings can lead to distorted thoughts and emotions about your bodies and negative thoughts about body image and self-worth can lead to changes in eating and exercise behaviours.

What is an eating disorder?

Eating disorders usually begin in the late teenage years, but can start at any age and continue into adulthood. Eating disorders are usually related to emotional issues such as control and self-esteem. They are often a way of avoiding thinking about the real problems. There are usually a number of factors that contribute to them. These can be things that have happened to you, such as difficult relationships with friends or family, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, loss and grief, stress, or feeling that you’ve lost control over life.

What is body image?

Body image is how a person sees, thinks and feels about their physical appearance. However, how a person looks is only a small part of who they are. Body image is the number one concern for many young people in Australia.

When body image becomes a focus, people may overestimate their size or weight or think that their muscles should be bigger. When body image becomes confused with personality and self-worth, it may mean that there is a deeper problem that could lead to an eating disorder.

Types of eating disorders

Anorexia nervosa is to do with extreme concerns about weight, fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, and deliberately keeping a very low body weight by deliberately limiting the amount of food eaten or by over-exercising. Although they are usually underweight, people with this condition believe that they are 'fat'.

Bulimia nervosa is a compulsive cycle of eating large amounts of food and then trying to avoid weight gain (for example by vomiting, using laxatives or exercising excessively).

Binge eating disorder is about frequently eating large amounts of food, often when not hungry.

Symptoms of an eating disorder

Feelings

irritable

feeling anxious or depressed

suicidal thoughts

feeling guilty

Thoughts

being sensitive to comments about food, exercise, weight or body shape

being sensitive to criticism

thinking a lot about body image, body weight and food

Behaviours

talking a lot about body image, body weight and food

withdrawing from family and friends

having problems with relationships

dieting or overeating excessively

eating very quickly or very slowly

eating only certain types and amounts of food

avoiding social situations that involve food

‘playing’ with food rather than eating it

wearing loose fitting clothes to hide weight loss

Physical

difficulty concentrating

exercising excessively

obsessively and repetitively weighing

going to the bathroom straight after meals

What are the effects of eating disorders?

Having an unhealthy body image and experiencing an eating disorder can damage your self-esteem and seriously interfere with your life. It is not clear which comes first, but most people who have eating disorders will also experience anxiety or depression at some stage in their illness. Eating disorders can also lead to irritability and moodiness, finding it hard to concentrate, or taking drugs.

Taking action

Many people try to hide their eating disorders. If you think you have an eating disorder it’s important to talk about it honestly and openly.

A doctor or counsellor can help you to explore your beliefs and behaviours about weight, and how you feel about yourself. They can guide you in finding better ways of managing your feelings and having a healthier and more positive approach to yourself, food and weight.

Giving yourself a new focus can also help. This might mean finding a new interest or taking up a hobby. Spending time with people who are positive and supportive can also help you along the way. Talking to someone who has recovered from an eating disorder can be especially helpful.

Recovery

Recovery time is quicker for some people than for others, and the old feelings and behaviours may come back. Some people find that when they let go of their eating disorder, they experience other mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression. It may be that these problems were always there and the eating disorder was a way to cope with them. If this happens to you, it’s important to talk to your doctor and work out the underlying cause.

Where to get support

Sometimes you need more than the help of your friends and family.

Anxiety and depression are medical conditions and so treatment from a health professional is sometimes necessary. There are a range of health professionals available to support you while you recover from anxiety and depression.